


New York Cheesecake Muffins

by kuron_10



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Shiro cooks, White Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-18 01:35:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18110576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuron_10/pseuds/kuron_10
Summary: “No! You are not using the Garrison’s main kitchen!” Hunk repeated aggressively.Shiro sighed again, “I know I’m not the best cook, but…”“Not the best cook? I beg your pardon. You are the worst cook ever. We have travelled across the universe and I have not met a worse cook than you! Remember the time when you set the kitchen in the castle of lions on fire, because you needed a midnight snack? Or when we tried to bake Altean cookies and funnily only your patch went up in flames. Or when you wanted to mix a sports drink and everything exploded?”





	New York Cheesecake Muffins

**Author's Note:**

> It's the White Day counterpart to "Strawberry chocolate cookies" Valentine's Day fic.
> 
> I was fandom-raised with "Don't like, don't read", and I think it needs a comeback. XD

“No! Absolutely not!” Hunk crossed his arms and for the first time in his life Shiro felt threatened by the former yellow paladin. And this early in the morning nonetheless. Shiro had waited for Hunk to finish his breakfast, before calling him to his office, hoping the high sugar level would make him more open to his plea.

“I just…”

“No! You are not using the Garrison’s main kitchen!” Hunk repeated aggressively.

 

Shiro sighed again, “I know I’m not the best cook, but…”

“Not the best cook? I beg your pardon. You are the worst cook ever. We have travelled across the universe and I have not met a worse cook than you! Remember the time when you set the kitchen in the castle of lions on fire, because you needed a midnight snack? Or when we tried to bake Altean cookies and funnily only your patch went up in flames? Or when you wanted to mix a sports drink and everything exploded?”

Yes, he did remember. Vividly actually.

 

“I know, but today is White Day and I really need to bake something for Curtis’ and my date later”, Shiro explained.

 

Hunk rolled his eyes, “Look, I like you. And I like Curtis. I do not want him to get sick because he has to eat whatever you bake. And this is exactly why I give you this advice: buy something for him. You can’t bake. You will burn your hand and maybe even melt your metallic hand. And probably burn down the kitchen. Maybe even the Garrison. Or another catastrophe arises. Shiro, pretty please: buy something for him. Please. Save us all the trouble.”

 

Shiro tried to give Hunk his best puppy eyes. “It’s not the same if it’s store bought though”, he eventually said, “Curtis made these strawberry cookies for me on Valentine’s Day and they were so sweet and delicious. The purpose of White Day is to give something in return, of the same value. Something store bought will never match his cookies. And I really want to show him how much he means to me.”

“Yeah, I totally get you”, Hunk admitted, “And if any other person would have approached me, I would have considered letting them use the kitchen. But this is you, Shiro. I know you are the captain of the Atlas, but I am the chef of the kitchen and I have to protect the universe from your cooking skills. Please, Curtis will understand. Buy him something.”

 

Shiro couldn’t hide his disappointment anymore. “You know, today will be a special day for Curtis and me”, Shiro finally admitted, “I want to confess my feelings…”

“You two have been dating for weeks already. I think he knows how you feel?”

“Yes, but we have not said the one word yet…” Shiro admitted, “We just wanted to let things develop naturally and I think we are both ready for the next step. To finally say it out loud. So I wanted today to be very, very special. With something that seems impossible. Like home-made cookies.”

 

He could see Hunk’s resistance breaking. He knew it. Hunk was a romantic after all.

Hunk sighed as he scratched the back of his head, “Man, Shiro, this is not easy. You know I am so happy for you two. And you really deserve to be this happy with him and I wish there was something I could do for you…”

“You were a paladin of Voltron”, Shiro reminded him, “You could already make the impossible possible by saving the universe. Can’t we do it one more time? If you help me, I am sure we will be able to bake something edible.”

 

Hunk grunted, but Shiro could see it in Hunk’s eyes… he was already thinking about recipes. He had won!

“Okay, but if we do it, we do it my way”, Hunk said, finally rolling up his sleeves, “You will be my assistant and you will carry out my orders without questioning me! And if I get one nasty remark or if you slack, you’ll be kicked out of the kitchen. Forever.”

 

Shiro’s face lit up, “Hunk, you are the best! I thought we could make…”

“Nope, I already know what we will bake. It will be a masterpiece. For a rookie like you at least…”

“But you know it has to be something white, because it’s White Day…”

Hunk grunted, “Of course I do. I’m not an amateur like you. Now, get something to write. While I get the kitchen ready, you will get me the following ingredients. Exactly these! And don’t you dare get me anything similar, do you understand me? And you better come back fast, because this will take a while.”

“Yes Sir!” Shiro excitedly exclaimed as he quickly grabbed his phone to take notes. 

 

The excitement did not settle down for the rest of the day. Not even after the four awful hours with Hunk in the kitchen had passed. Shiro had never in his life been screamed at for four hours straight before – his ears were still aching. But when he thought about his surprise in the refrigerator for his boyfriend, he knew everything was worth it. 

He couldn’t remember when it had been the last time that he had felt this kind of nervousness. Sure, he has been nervous before their first date, but also excited. He had been nervous before their first kiss, but also thrilled. But tonight he felt a special kind of nervousness. He knew he was crossing a border that had been off limits for years. He did not think he would ever get to this point in his life again, he did not expect to ever feel like this again. But here he was. Here they were. Ready for the next step.

 

They had agreed on meeting in front of the Garrison again, their usual meeting point. Probably to hide that Curtis always ran to Veronica right before their date to ask her opinion about his outfit – at least that’s what Rizavi had been telling Shiro. If it was true, it was really cute; Shiro did not dare to ask Curtis if it was true though.

 

Curtis gave him the cutest and most reassuring smile when he approached him, as if he could sense Shiro’s uneasiness. As usual 15 minutes too early. By now Shiro knew that Curtis was always too early and already arrived earlier as well. One day they would have to set the date time one hour later, because the competition of who was arriving earlier would get out of hand.

 

“Good evening, Takashi”, Curtis said as he slightly leant down for a kiss, “You look wonderful tonight.” 

They were not as shy in public anymore as they still had been on Valentine’s Day; by now the crew knew they were dating. Actually everyone in the Garrison knew. And thanks to the travelling paladins, it was probably already known on other planets and in other galaxies as well.

 

“I was looking forward to today”, Shiro said as he entangled their fingers, “Since Valentine’s Day I have been waiting to finally give you my special gift for you in return.”

“You know, you don’t have to do this”, Curtis said, “I didn’t want to put you under pressure. I just wanted to express my feelings for you on Valentine’s Day.”

Shiro laughed as he lead Curtis to the same bench where he had given him the sweetest cookies on earth exactly one month earlier, “It was a lot of pressure, indeed; but only because your surprise was perfect. And you know I am ambitious.” 

 

As they sat down, Shiro carefully handed him the bento box. It was mostly white with some painted pink sakura pedals on it, plus a happy Hello Kitty in the top right corner. Curtis giggled when his fingers ran over the small kitty.

“I couldn’t find a white bento box without a sticker on it”, Shiro muttered a bit embarrassed, “But I wanted to stick to the motto of the day: white.” 

Curtis still giggled, shaking his head, “It’s so cute. And very fitting.” He had a soft spot for cute little things – including Hello Kitty. 

 

He carefully opened it, before gasping at the sight. Six happy little muffins with sweet red strawberries on top were waiting for him. 

Oh so carefully Curtis took one of them in his hand. 

“These are New York Cheesecake muffins”, Shiro explained, “Because you know – it had to be white and cheesecake was the perfect choice. I did not want to give you a cake though, as it would be difficult to try before our date, so it had to be muffins. And the strawberry on top is a reminiscence of your cookies, to pick up the strawberry theme once more.”

Curtis carefully eyed his boyfriend. That didn’t sound like Shiro - Mr. “I-can-only-cook-Mac’n’Cheese” - at all. “You sound too aware… you didn’t make them yourself, did you?”

 

“I did”, Shiro said proudly and before Curtis could say anything, he quickly added, “Under Hunk’s guidance. I was supervised, the whole time.”

Curtis’ gaze wandered between Shiro and the muffins. “You made them? For real?”  
“Don’t be so surprised”, Shiro laughed as he slightly nudged Curtis, “And I can guarantee they are edible. Hunk watched over every little step and even insisted on a taste test in the end. He approved.”

 

Curtis smiled so softly. To think that Shiro would go that far and bake something for him! And Hunk even helped him! He knew Hunk turned into a very serious and strict person once he changed into his cooking-mode. Shiro really went through all of this, just to bake muffins for him! 

“I have heard so many stories about you and cooking, but I trust you... and Hunk” He carefully took a bite, before slowly nodding, “Wow! They are really delicious! Colour me surprised, but they are indeed fantastic!” 

 

Shiro smiled wildly as he carefully remove the crumbles from Curtis’ lips with his human hand. Curtis happily ate his muffin and looked very surprised, but pleased nonetheless! 

 

“I am not really sure how to address this. I have practised what I wanted to say, but I still feel a bit helpless now, so please hear me out. Actually, I want to thank you”, Shiro said with a shaking voice, “And I suppose you do not even know that you saved me.”

“I… huh?”

“Looking back upon the last years, I have been through a lot of dark times. But if I had to single out one moment, it was after everything was over. Before that battle I always had an aim to reach. I was only thinking of saving the universe, of defeating Honerva, of surviving. But once this aim was gone, I found myself lost. The paladins followed their own paths and I was not sure where my path was leading me. Everything I have had on earth was gone. Friends and family have been lost. My purpose was fulfilled. I had no idea what to do with my life; I just lived day by day, waiting for any new aim to rise. Too many nights I couldn’t sleep because I felt lost and was haunted by my nightmares. And this was when I found you for the first time in the bar of the Atlas, playing the piano all by yourself.”

“Because I couldn’t sleep either that night”, Curtis remembered, “And when I can’t sleep, I always turn to music.”

 

“Those nights when it was just the two of us and the piano”, Shiro said, “They gave me strength. I could finally fall asleep, I could find peace. And I will never forget when I woke up for the first time, feeling surprisingly refreshed and being covered by your jacket. You had been watching over me, to make sure I could finally rest. The next nights on you even had a blanket ready for those times when it was just the two of us. This whole time you have been there for me. You were never pushing for anything. You gave me space when I needed it; but when I needed someone close, you were already there. I do not know how you do that, but you always know exactly what I need. Probably better than I do myself.”

 

Shiro carefully caressed his boyfriend’s fingers with his human hand, “Curtis… I love you. For everything you have done for me. For being there for me. And for guiding me when I was surrounded by darkness and I couldn’t find a way out. For looking after me when I was so exhausted and restless. For making sure I was never cold when I fell asleep in the bar. For staying with me, for the whole night when I was restless. For giving me all the time I needed before I could finally find the strength to move on from the past and start dating you. For being so patient with me, even though I’m so much trouble. For all of this, please know that I love you.”

Shiro could see Curtis’ lips trembling while he spoke, his eyes desperately trying to hold back the tears. They failed. The first happy tears rolled down his cheek as Shiro spoke about the last years. Yes, it had taken them a long time to get where they were today – but every tiny step had been important.

“I love you too, Takashi”, he finally whispered it for the first time. Without another word spoken their lips finally met, melting into a New York Cheesecake muffin kiss that seemed to slow down the time. 

 

When they finally had to break apart, neither of them wanted to let go. Curtis offered Shiro a sweet and warm hug, which he gladly accepted. Curtis’ warmth was so familiar; it felt like home. Shiro had been searching for a home, for years already. He had found it with Curtis.

 

“I can’t promise you, there won’t be any dark times in our future”, Shiro whispered against Curtis’ neck, “I know I still have a long way to go to overcome everything that has happened. I am not sure I won’t be dragging you down with me into the darkness.”

“Don’t worry about that, Takashi. I’ve got you”, Curtis answered with a soft chuckle, carefully letting his hands glide over Shiro’s back as he still held his boyfriend close, “Actually, this is what nav techs are for. We always find a way out of the darkness.” 

 

Shiro chuckled as well as he rested his cheek against Curtis’ shoulder. Their shared future had just stared. And even though he still did not know where his path would lead him, he was sure he would eventually get there – with Curtis as his navigator.


End file.
